It was back in July of 2009, with the excitement of a child, that I announced the sweet news that Zürich would have its very own Ladurée boutique. I nearly jumped out of my seat when I found out, being a loyal fan for over a decade. So you can just imagine how high I jumped at the opportunity to actually translate the new Ladurée cookbook! But first, back to the story we go…

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They say “everything is better with Coke.” For me, everything is better with chocolate.  And dates.  That’s how I ended up baking not just tahini shortbread, but tahini chocolate shortbread… and tahini date shortbread.  Both irresistible, especially the latter.
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Time for another chocolate roundup!  It’s been a few months since the last in the series, but by no means have those months been chocolate-free.  There were my chocolate finds in London, a true chocolate gem in Switzerland, a New York City inspired chocolate creation of my own and endless tastes along the way.  And now, time to share a few of the latter.

A previous theme (more than once) and still current favorite of mine is dark chocolate and salt.  It’s not a trend that will fade with time; it is simply a natural pairing and classic combination.  Bakers may add extra salt to their recipes to bring out the flavor of sweet ingredients, as in chocolate chip cookies or cakes – the overall effect being flavorful, not salty.  Whenever I see salt as a featured ingredient of a chocolate bar, my eyes open wide, and I usually end up grabbing it. Here are just a few of the many I have tasted lately.  Anyone else a big fan of chocolate with salt ?  Or have another fetish ingredient ?

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